SGEIRS -Chapter 598 Agreeing to the Marriage

Madam Chen left Gu Xiuhong’s study with a complicated heart, yet she still could not agree to her son marrying a widow.

When she returned to her courtyard, she saw her husband leisurely sipping tea, which immediately made her furious. “Your son is hopeless, insisting on marrying that widow, and you still have the nerve to drink tea?”

Gu Jingsong glanced at her and said helplessly, “You know how stubborn he is. Thinking he’ll change his mind anytime soon is impossible.”

Madam Chen took a few steps forward, snatched the teacup from her husband’s hand, and slammed it on the table. “Do you even know what he told me? He said as long as he could marry that widow, he would happily become a live-in son-in-law!”

Gu Jingsong was momentarily stunned but then waved it off casually. “Then let him marry her. I won’t give him a single coin of dowry. Let him go empty-handed, eat at their house, live at their house, work like a servant, and curry favor with his in-laws. I want to see how long that ‘unbreakable love’ lasts.”

Madam Chen was dumbfounded and stammered, “But he’s your only son! If he becomes a live-in son-in-law, won’t our family line end?”

Gu Jingsong replied, “Xuanling already had a daughter, right? Her husband is the only son in his family. Xuanling will surely bear a son eventually. We can talk to our relatives-in-law and take Xuanling’s daughter in, raise her with the surname Gu, and later find her a husband. That way, the second branch of the family line won’t die out.”

Madam Chen could hardly believe it. “Husband, are you serious?”

“If he dares to become a live-in son-in-law, then I’m serious,” Gu Jingsong shot her a glance.

Madam Chen studied him for a moment and shook her head gently. “You’re acting strange.”

Gu Jingsong replied, “We’re not young anymore. We’re already grandparents. As long as you’re not insisting on having another child, everything else is trivial.”

“…”

Madam Chen was momentarily speechless. Last time, she had insisted on having another child, and her husband held out for a few days before he couldn’t handle it anymore. He would avoid her, even though she wasn’t yet forty. How could he suddenly be so weak? With only two or three encounters a month, if it weren’t for him sleeping with her every night, she would start to suspect he was satisfying himself elsewhere.

Gu Jingsong glanced at her again and continued, “Xiuhong is very stubborn. If he could change his mind easily, then we’d have to worry he’d been possessed by some evil spirit.”

Madam Chen pursed her lips and asked, “Then what do you think about this matter?”

Gu Jingsong sighed helplessly. “I tried reasoning with him, analyzing the pros and cons, but he didn’t listen. He wouldn’t even look at Lingyi, such a good girl, and is completely focused on that widow. If he wants to marry her, let him. I don’t want to interfere anymore.”

Madam Chen was stunned. “But didn’t you say earlier that if he insisted on marrying that widow, you wouldn’t recognize him as your son?”

Gu Jingsong was silent for a moment and then said, “Today, I met that widow’s older brother. He’s a decent young man. With a brother like that, I imagine the sister is good as well. The only downside is the mismatch in family status, and that she was married before. But our son really likes her. We only have one son—are we really going to ruin things for him because of a woman?”

Hearing this, Madam Chen turned to her husband and saw a hint of admiration in his expression. She realized he no longer opposed the marriage. Frowning, she said, “Husband, don’t forget their parents aren’t great. They pushed their daughter into the arms of a scoundrel who frequents brothels and abuses women. Even if her brother is good, she is kind-hearted, but with parents like that, making in-laws of them could end badly for us as well.”

Gu Jingsong said gently, “Madam, Xiuhong has grown up. We have to trust he can handle his own matters. If there are problems with the woman he marries, he will deal with them himself.”

Madam Chen scowled. “I really wonder what kind of magic potion that widow put in his head.”

Gu Jingsong took her hand in his, comforting her, “He is marrying the girl to spend his life with her, not with us. If you really dislike her, just don’t look at her. Let her take care of Xiuhong, give us a strong grandson, and otherwise don’t bother showing up in front of you.”

Madam Chen fell silent.

Gu Jingsong looked at her and didn’t bring it up again. Changing the subject, he said, “Two days ago, you mentioned wanting to go to the temple to offer incense. On my day off, I’ll go with you.”

Madam Chen, worried about her son’s marriage, had little interest in going to the temple, but seeing her husband’s thoughtfulness, she naturally didn’t want to disappoint him. She nodded in agreement.

—

Two days later,

Madam Chen, accompanied by her husband, went to the temple to offer incense. The scenery was beautiful, and she felt somewhat relaxed. Yet upon returning home, a single comment from her niece made her mood sour.

Her niece, the bride she had favored for her son, told her that while out with Xuanyi, she had fallen in love at first sight with a young gentleman.

Great. Her son had his heart set on someone, and her favored niece also had someone she liked—both were now completely hopeless.

That night, Madam Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, finally muttering, “I’ll never go to a temple to offer incense again. It doesn’t work at all.”

Gu Jingsong, still awake, heard her remark and asked curiously, “When you offered incense, you weren’t making a wish to Buddha that Xiuhong and Lingyi become a couple, were you?”

Madam Chen said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes.

Gu Jingsong smiled helplessly. “You usually see things more clearly than I do. How come now you’re obsessing over this?”

Madam Chen remained silent.

Gu Jingsong continued, “Xiuhong has been excellent since childhood. Teachers praised him when he studied. Now, he has entered the court, and his superiors also hold him in high regard. As his parents, we are proud. Since he reached marriageable age, the girls you picked for him were all noble and accomplished. But the girl Xiuhong likes is completely different from your ideal daughter-in-law. That’s why you can’t get past it?”

Madam Chen asked, “So you changed your mind about this widow just because you met her brother once?”

Gu Jingsong replied, “Not exactly. I thought about her parents—they are not people who truly love their daughter. After she returns home, her parents will arrange a marriage for her, pushing her to marry someone else. Could Xiuhong withstand such a blow? He once refused to marry anyone just to wait for her. If she were forced to marry again, do you think his stubborn temper would ever let him marry anyone in his life?”

Madam Chen’s face stiffened. Having already missed once, missing a second time would be unimaginable. After a long silence, she sighed, “Fine. Tomorrow, I’ll invite a matchmaker to propose for Xiuhong. This girl is someone he wants to marry against parental wishes. If life doesn’t go well afterward, he will have to bear the consequences himself.”